Photos by Ray Hamill /HumboldtSports.com
By Ray Hamill — In a matchup that many local fans have been anticipating for much of the season, the top two Division-7 schools in the North Coast Section — and two of the top 15 teams in the entire section — will face off for the Division-5 championship on Saturday night.
The Ferndale Wildcats, who are now ranked No. 12 in the NCS, according to MaxPreps, will play No. 15 St. Vincent de Paul at Rancho Cotate High School in Rohnert Park.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
The Cats, who are playing in an NCS final for the third straight year, will carry plenty of momentum into the championship game and are one of only two undefeated teams in the NCS this year, along with the top seeds in the Open Division, De La Salle.
Last week, the No. 2 seeds in the Division-5 bracket pulled away late from No. 3 Salesian on the way to a comfortable 35-7 win, as they improved to 12-0.
But playing No. 1 seed St. Vincent de Paul — the Mustangs were ranked higher than Ferndale in the NCS when the brackets were released three weeks ago — will be the Cats’ biggest challenge of the season so far and one of their most experienced opponents.
“They’re a senior-heavy team with a lot of depth at all positions,” Ferndale head coach Clint McClurg said. “Offensively, I think it’s going to be our most difficult game just because of the quality of the opponent. I think they’re going to provide a difficult task.”
Likewise with the Wildcats, who are the highest-ranked opponent the Mustangs have faced all year.
St. Vincent de Paul (11-1) has played two games against top-20 teams, including a 28-7 win over No. 19 Rancho Cotate and a 27-6 loss to No. 20 Ukiah, which was their only defeat of the year.
And as you would expect from a team in an NCS final, the Mustangs are deep and talented and have plenty of weapons the Cats will have to account for.
Senior running back Mason Caturegli is one of those weapons and he leads the team in rushing yards per game and receiving yards per game, accounting for 145.6 yards of total offense every time he takes the field.
Caturegli has missed four games this year but appears to be fully healthy again at an opportune time.
But Caturegli is far from the only weapon on the team and is one of three St. Vincent players who have accounted for at least 494 yards rushing this season.
And the Mustangs have achieved that behind a loaded offensive line that likes to utilize several different players.
“Up front, they seem to be shuffling in a few different bodies and not missing a beat,” McClurg said. “They have some depth up front, and they have some playmakers.”
So too do the Wildcats, who have had to overcome some injuries on the line themselves in recent weeks and have not missed a beat.
Ferndale also features a deep and strong stable of skill position players, many of whom are capable of breaking free just about any time they touch the ball.
And with that in mind, the key for the Wildcats, as they look to extend their record of most-ever NCS football championships for a public school (14), is a relatively simple one.
“Play our brand of football,” McClurg said. “We want to play physical football for four quarters. We want to set a physical tone. That’s what we have to do.”
It’s a formula that has worked well for the Wildcats since their season opener back in early September, and this is a team that has allowed just six touchdowns all year and one that outscored its 10 regular-season opponents by a combined 567-18.
It’s also a team that has carried that impressive form into the playoffs and it’s a group of players that remain focused on the hand at task and are not getting carried away with that incredible success so far.
And that all begins on the practice field.
McClurg and his staff have brought up many of the JV players for the varsity postseason and the younger members of the roster have fitted right in.
This week, many of them featured on the scout team, and, according to the coach, they have done a good job helping to prepare the Cats for what will be their biggest challenge of the season.
“I thought it was a solid week of practice,” McClurg said. “I think our student athletes are very attentive to the details needed at this stage of the season.
“In preparation this week, we’re definitely very respectful in terms of our opponent.”
With a Saturday evening kickoff and a relatively short four-hour drive to Rohnert Park, the Wildcats will travel for the game in the morning.
The game will be streamed live on The NFHS Network.
“We’re looking forward to the challenge,” McClurg said. “It’s going to be a battle.”
